


happiness.

by ansutazu



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, happy birthday keito, i guess, just a normal fic, just two guys being kinda gay, uh? something not sad?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 02:41:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12003282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ansutazu/pseuds/ansutazu
Summary: "happiness" is a curious thing. // eichi gives keito one extra gift for his birthday, something from their childhood that sparks a conversation. keichi one-shot.





	happiness.

**Author's Note:**

> i know i'm 2 days early but i gotta be extra bc i was 2 days early for eichi's bday fic and also i don't have time the rest of the week to do this SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEITO please come home when i scout,, i'm begging
> 
> it's been 2 yrs i'm still sad abt ayano's theory of happiness actually that's My Song

The streamers were coming down one by one, and if they hadn’t moved from their original position at all during the duration of their party, they were close to faltering from their position, clinging onto the walls desperately with cheap tape and questionable physics. Decorations were tossed onto several desks for later disposal, though he felt like it’d be a shame if they threw away the paper flowers his juniors had painstakingly created, and so he silently stuffed a few in the pocket of his uniform blazer, careful that the emperor’s watchful eye does not fall upon his childlike mannerisms.

It was just the two of them in the student council room, having persuaded the other hard-working student council members (Fushimi is a curious case, but he always considered the young man a member nonetheless) to leave the clean-up to them, who would be heading to the same place regardless, for childhood friends such as them had shared that close proximity for such a lengthy amount of time that to forget about would almost seem unnatural.

The blonde lifts the leftover cake and gracefully places it back into its box, folding it up neatly and letting out a satisfied huff after he’s finished. “Even with its odd appearance, Ritsu-kun makes delightful sweets, doesn’t he? Fufu, but the look on your face when you were trying to eat it was certainly amusing — I hope you know that I’ll remember that.”

“It’s not bad,” the vice president comments, though he’s slightly irritated by the blonde’s last jab at his facial expression. To be fair, he’d only heard stories of Ritsu’s cryptic creations, but to see it himself…well, Eichi wasn’t lying. “He really made it taste like green tea. I suppose you asked for that? In any case, I saw you take a big piece, Eichi — don’t overload yourself with sugar, otherwise your doctor’ll freak out the next time you visit — ”

“Aw, come on — how about you quit with the nagging just for today? Don’t wear yourself out just by scolding me.” When Keito scowls, Eichi lets out a childish laugh, and he strides over to where the vice president was just across the room, putting his hand on his shoulder. “We told you to relax, didn’t we? We didn’t just mean it at the party — there’s still plenty of hours left in this day, so you should use that to rest at ease.”

“It’s pretty hard to relax when you’re around.”

“Oh? What does that mean? Does it mean that your heart skips a beat when you’re with me?”

“It means my blood pressure’s always going up because you’re doing something reckless even when I tell you not to.” Keito wipes the hand off his shoulder, to which Eichi pouts with childlike features, and he shakes his head, turning around to look at his childhood friend with a look of obvious dissatisfaction on his face. “If you really want to me to ‘celebrate’ my birthday to the fullest, how about _you_ go home now and _rest_? I’ll finish the rest of the cleaning, and I’ll be _fine_ , before you even ask.”

“Hmm…sorry, but I can’t do that.” Eichi puts his hands behind his back, smiling mischievously as the sky outside begins to turn different shades of red and orange and yellow, preparing for its slumber slowly but surely. “Actually, there’s one more present for you — it’s not from anyone else. It’s from me, but it requires that we go home together. There’s a specific location I want to take you to. How does that sound, Keito?”

* * *

They arrive at Eichi’s ‘specific location’ just as the sun truly begins to set — a little cliff near their school that looks over the ocean and some of the city nearby, a rope railing and one wooden bench being the only points of any sort of manufactured design around them (minus the car that took them there, because Keito would have certainly fussed if they had to walk, not for his sake, but for Eichi’s). There’s bushes and trees, and the rocks have slight traction as a result of sad and sediments from the rocks that make this small cliff, but other than that, this place would not have been found had it not been for a little exploring, yet Keito finds no energy to ask how Eichi knew about this place, though it seems so natural for the blonde to be here, as he sits down on the bench with practiced motions, setting the present on his lap and looking off into the rolling tides dyed with the sun’s red hues.

Keito sits down next to him and eyes the gift in Eichi’s lap with a practiced eye, and it’s not too big, but he fears that Eichi might have burned a hole in his wallet (well, then again, the Tenshouin family was as influential as ever, so the idea of that seemed far too unlikely). For a minute he just watches the blonde, who was, in turn, watching the ongoing waves crashing against the rocks before he nods, turning to Keito with yet another one of his unfair smiles, this time with a hint of a bittersweet look to it.

“Here’s my gift.”

When the gift is handed to him, he opens it immediately, though he does take care to do so gently. When the present is revealed, he blinks for a couple moments, in absolute _awe_ over the old relic, the lines and coloring and words bringing back childhood memories that had been woven into not only Keito’s mind but Eichi’s as well, remembering perfectly how the young Keito had leaped up after finishing the story in pride over his latest creation, and Eichi clapping in congratulations over the completion of his friend’s latest project.

_Wonderland Alice VS. Looking Glass Alice_.

It was a rather simple story — the whole plot was basically laid out in front of them through the title (nice job, younger Keito) — yet back then, it had been the epitome of his stories, a wonderful battle that Eichi had helped him script, and the blonde had watched him draw a lot of the story as well, coming over frequently to see his progress and cheer him on, if he so inclined. The doujin was a nostalgic item now, the papers having turned yellow as he flips through each page tenderly, looking at how he’d thought _this_ was the peak of his artistic abilities, the extremely drawn-out lines and the uneven anatomy and the unrealistic proportions — ah, he’s glad he’s improved, but looking at his old work made him lose a couple of years in his life.

And then he wonders — how is this a gift?

“You looked really happy when you were drawing this,” Eichi says, swinging his legs softly as he gazes at Keito, continuing to smile nonetheless, though it looks a little regretful, a little guilty. “The faces you made while you were making these were pretty interesting, I have to say. You were completely in your element with not only this one, but the other manga you’ve drawn…Keito, even though you said I haven’t stolen a single thing from you…”

He taps the book with a pale, slender finger, and Keito looks up at the blonde now, more or less seeing where this was going, though he lets his childhood friend speak — if he’s learned something from their summertime quarrels, it was that listening was important, that understanding and moving forward were essential to continuing the relationship they had. “I did steal _this_ from you — not just the book, but becoming what you really wanted to be. I know what you said — I remember it well, really, but forgive me for being selfish and wanting to atone nonetheless, starting with this. I hope that whatever you do in the future, you don’t forget this, and that you pick up the pen again for my sake. If you’re able to be happy like that once again, that’d certainly put my soul at ease.”

“Eichi.” He closes the book, sighing and pushing up his glasses for the lecture he’d been carefully structuring in his brain. “I suppose there’s really no way of stopping you with that thinking of yours, even with that ‘Quarrel Festival’ and all…but you _say_ that you remember it, so do me a favor and actually _believe_ it, too, _every single word_. It’s because I followed this unlikely protagonist that I’ve been able to experience the thrill of a new art form and the thrill of becoming an idol, the very thing I saw _you_ becoming happy about — and really, are you saying I’m not happy _now_? I have juniors growing up just nicely, the archery club’s gained new members, and I place my utmost trust and pride in my fellow unit members of ‘Akatsuki’, which is just as important to me as ‘fine’ is to you. And ever since that time, you’ve become the opposite of an emperor — you’ve become ‘Eichi’ enjoying his youth. That goes for me, too — I’m enjoying it just nicely, though the intense load of student council work may seem like it betrays any ‘fun’ I have. But, truthfully…I can say that after all this time, I’m enjoying myself. A feeling like this wouldn’t have happened if I had kept scrawling pictures on a paper. Of course, I haven’t forgotten that skill completely, but artistry and my life at Yumenosaki go hand in hand, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. So while I can’t exactly stop you from fretting, I can at least tell you my thoughts, so take it as you will, but truthfully, I don’t want you to brood on this for too long.”

Eichi stays silent for a minute, straightening his back and his smile growing wider — and brimming with a more livelier sense — before responding. “Well, don’t we understand each other a little better now? I’m glad we had that ‘quarrel’, to have been able to set things straight with you — though we still bickering like little kids, don’t we? Ah…if you ask that politely, perhaps I’ll grow up a little as well. Maybe I’ll move on and enjoy life beside you, too. We’re childhood friends, after all.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Then I’ll gladly go through ‘youth’s experiences’ with you, Keito, and hopefully we have more fun along the way. Ah, one more thing.” Eichi reaches under the bench, pulling out…a _statue_ of all things, and was it a _Buddha statue_? Upon closer inspection, it seemed as if the face had been rid of the usual design…and replaced with _Keito’s own face_ instead.

Was his face on a Buddha statue?

“Remember that statue you kicked as a kid? I always felt a little bad for it, so here’s a replacement.” He hands of over to the green-haired boy gleefully, who takes it with fuming annoyance on his face. Ah, and this birthday was going well…but this was Eichi, and something like this…he _should’ve_ seen it coming.

“You wouldn’t kick your own face, would you? Fufu, happy birthday, Keito.”


End file.
